Solar-powered car stops in Wheeling, continues on epic New York to LA journey – WTOV Steubenville

OHIO COUNTY, W.Va. — A solar car made a stop in Wheeling as part of a trip from New York to LA on Wednesday.

The Cannonball Sun is a group of five friends with the passion to complete the 3,100-mile journey.

“We’re already super excited to have made it this far,” University of Michigan student Will Jones said. “We’ve done 2 days of driving now and a little less than 500 miles. It’s been two good challenging days through the rolling hills and mountains of Appalachia here.”

The vehicle has three motors, each connected to a wheel. There’s a battery charged from solar energy that has about 3 percent of the capacity of a Tesla battery.

The car can get up to around 50 miles per hour, so the group stays off the Interstate and most highways.

Jones explained a little more of the workings of the car.

“We have eight solar panels here. It’s about 1700 watts of solar energy,” he said. “All of the energy flows from the panels to a black box underneath the seat. That’s our Maximum Powerpoint Tracker, charge controller. That’s what regulates the energy between the solar array and the battery.”

The vehicle a custom design the group came up with costing around $12,000. It includes several 3D printed parts, and it has all the functions to be road safe. It’s even a registered vehicle by the state of Michigan.

And it’s a different sight for many people.

“You get a lot of funny reactions,” Jones said. “A lot of people, I think, don’t believe what they’re seeing. Especially if you’re in the oncoming lane or if you’re just standing on the side of the road. We’ll cruise by and their hand will snap like what in the world was that?”

The group still has a way to go. But they are all excited for the adventure. You can follow their trip from the Red Ball Garage in Manhattan to the Portofino Hotel in Los Angeles online here.

https://www.thecannonballsun.com/.

“I’d say it’s equal parts adventure, as well as raising awareness for solar technology,” Jones said. “We feel like if five people from the middle of Michigan can design a solar car and drive it cross-country, then it really shows the potential for this technology, and it’s going to be here for a long time.”

The team hopes to make it to LA in the next couple of weeks.

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